It’s always a time of reflection. Sometimes it seems longer than nine years, and sometimes it doesn’t seem that long.

For many of you, this may be your first, and those “firsts” are tough — whether it’s Mother’s Day, a birthday, an anniversary or that first holiday. These are powerful triggers that start building before the event and endure after it’s over.

Reese Graves, daughter of Matthew and Danielle Graves, requested to collect wish list items for her birthday for the Duke Cancer Center’s Caring House. The Brunswick Community College Odell Williamson Auditorium assisted in the collection in honor of Michael Sapp, auditorium director. The OWA patrons and her birthday party attendees provided a vanload of toilet paper, paper towels and plastic cups for the Caring House. Reese is a rising kindergartner at Southeastern Christian Academy and is a member of Sharon United Methodist Church.

I was going merrily along my way, preparing to facilitate a weekly Bible study, when I received an email from a minister pal who received it from a Preacher’s Study Guide, which contained quotes from preacher Mary Hinkle Shore, who paraphrased professor and biblical scholar Sandra Schneiders. With that circuitous route to be traveled, I knew what I read would either be very good or not so good. It was the former.

As a veterinarian, I’ve dedicated my life to serving animals. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for animal welfare, particularly my fight against puppy mills (sadly, it’s a battle we’re still fighting).

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Mothers certainly deserve a day of recognition. After all, none of us would be here without a mother. And, if you’re like me, you put yours through more than a few trials and tribulations.

Even so, many of us had more of a Joan Crawford rather than June Cleaver experience. If you’re still blaming your mom for your problems 25 years hence, save yourself a few hours on the shrink’s couch and let it go. She was doing the best she could with what she had to work with.

SHALLOTTE – West Brunswick’s women’s lacrosse team had never won more than six games in a season.

The Trojans boasted records of 6-10 in 2017, 2-10 in 2016 and a winless 0-11 in 2015 in the three years preceding a record-breaking 2018 campaign that ended at the hands of East Chapel Hill High School on Friday, May 4, in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoffs.

Coastal Race Productions is hosting Run Sunset Beach, a half-marathon, 5K and one-mile race May 19 at Sunset Beach Town Park. Both the 5K and half-marathon races take runners and walkers over the Mannon C. Gore Bridge onto the island and the one-mile course is completely closed and contained within the confines of the park.

Results from May 1. The group played a game of two low nets on par 4s and 5s and three low nets on par 3s. The team of Bryan Kanter, Gabby Grant and Butch Cadman finished in first place on the Dogwood/Magnolia course with a -26 mark, while Al Sansone, Marty Krygiel, Joe Longo and Jim Kocsi won first-place accolades on the Azalea/Magnolia course with a -27 mark.